Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and ... - ITU

4.5 Next generation networks (NGNs)
A key differentiator between legacy and next generation networks is the type of switching used. Legacy
networks use circuit switching optimised for voice communications, whereby the user pays for the time the
circuit is maintained. NGNs use packet switching, whereby the user pays for the amount of information
which is carried.
The growing demand for ICTs for new multimedia services, and the resulting expansion of digital traffic, is
leading the telecommunications industry towards the convergence and optimization of traditional networks.
The goal is the coming together of existing networks (fixed, mobile, Internet, broadcast, etc.) into a unitary
network architecture which has been termed Next Generation Networks (NGNs). This emerging technology
is a packet-based network able to make use of multiple broadband technologies, providing
telecommunication services to users, with independence of service-related functions from transport
technologies.
NGNs are more energy efficient than the current generation of public fixed networks, and the principles
should be adopted 138 .
Introduction of NGNs could provide at least a 40 per cent reduction in energy use due to:
• A significant decrease in the number of switching centres required.
• More tolerant temperature range for NGN equipment.
• Use of more advanced technologies such as passive optical networks (PONs).
National Broadband Plans are being implemented in many countries around the world, including Ghana.
The elements of Ghana’s National Broadband Plan are already being implemented through the “Wiring
Ghana” project which started in 2007 to provide a 4,000 km fibre backbone network, and the agreement
with Huawei Technologies in 2009 to supply an advanced telecommunication infrastructure to ensure that
broadband Internet access is available countrywide by the end of 2011. However, this needs extending to
homes, businesses and schools in Ghana.
A significant investment in infrastructure would be needed to bring Ghana up to the standard of developed
countries where the availability of a wireline or fibre connection is the norm. For example, according to the
Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council Europe, the cost of a fibre home connection in Holland is between €750
(urban) and €1,100 (rural) 139 . The cost of labour is a significant part of this and further work is needed to
estimate the potential costs for Ghana. The choice of infrastructure will be critical in minimising GHG
emissions and other environmental impacts and there is a significant difference between emissions from
fixed access Next Generation Networks (NGNs) and mobile broadband networks.
When calculating the final impact of either technology, a life cycle analysis (LCA) of the construction and
operation of infrastructure should be performed. The inventory could yield a net carbon sequestration
benefit in the case of the fibre access network. There will be captured carbon in approximately two million
of the wooden poles needed for a distribution network in Ghana. Utility poles have a typical life of 40-60
years and the material may be reused (e.g. for fence posts) in a cradle-to-cradle recycling scheme 140 .
The carbon captured in the wood may be accounted for in different ways. One LCA analysis claims back the
sequestered carbon at end of life. This compares the energy input in the manufacture and installation of
steel, concrete and wooden poles and shows that wood has the lowest embodied carbon 141 . In this analysis
the sequestered energy in the pole is not claimed until the pole is converted into carbon at the end of its life
cycle.
A utility company may be able to claim carbon sequestration if it produces its poles from a forest
regeneration project and locks away the carbon at end of life in an environmentally friendly way such as
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